Huck Finn Marxist Analysis
Marx’s hypothesis that Mr. Eliot and Mr. Trilling tried to justify the ending of the novel due to the fact that it is considered to be in the highest canon of literary reputability is completely accurate. The phenomenon of trying to fit in is prevalent in both today’s society and was so widespread in Twain’s society that he included it in his novel. An example of this occurred when Huck wanted to fit into Tom Sawyer’s gang so badly that he was willing to let the gang kill Miss Watson (Twain 21). Huck cared for Miss Watson, but he was willing to potentially trade her life for the ability to be part of the group. Mr. Eliot tried to prove that the novel had a satisfactory ending, but did not use any real evidence (Marx 424). Eliot just kept saying
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Additionally Marx argued that Jim’s freedom had become a game to Huck rather than an issue of the utmost importance. These arguments are invalid, because Jim allowed Huck to revert back to his old ways. The reader knows that Jim could have prevented Huck from blindly following Tom, because Huck had listened to Jim’s advice throughout the book. Jim’s reasoning for allowing Huck to act the way he did can only be understood if the reader looks back on the story while specifically looking at Jim’s interactions with Huck. Jim saw the corpse of Huck’s father in chapter nine and tried to act as a father-figure to Huck for the rest of the story. Jim’s love for Huck can be clearly seen after the scene in which Huck and Jim were separated by fog (94). Jim was overjoyed when they were reunited, but he also scolded Huck for acting immature. At the end of the novel, Jim went along with Huck’s plan rather than scolding him, because of how much he cared for Huck. Jim knew that Huck had the potential to become a moral and ethical person, but he also knew that Huck would have a better life if he fit in with the rest of society. If Jim had criticized Huck for taking part in Tom’s plan, Huck would have felt regretful and would have tried to improve his behavior. This would have separated Huck from the majority of
Additionally Marx argued that Jim’s freedom had become a game to Huck rather than an issue of the utmost importance. These arguments are invalid, because Jim allowed Huck to revert back to his old ways. The reader knows that Jim could have prevented Huck from blindly following Tom, because Huck had listened to Jim’s advice throughout the book. Jim’s reasoning for allowing Huck to act the way he did can only be understood if the reader looks back on the story while specifically looking at Jim’s interactions with Huck. Jim saw the corpse of Huck’s father in chapter nine and tried to act as a father-figure to Huck for the rest of the story. Jim’s love for Huck can be clearly seen after the scene in which Huck and Jim were separated by fog (94). Jim was overjoyed when they were reunited, but he also scolded Huck for acting immature. At the end of the novel, Jim went along with Huck’s plan rather than scolding him, because of how much he cared for Huck. Jim knew that Huck had the potential to become a moral and ethical person, but he also knew that Huck would have a better life if he fit in with the rest of society. If Jim had criticized Huck for taking part in Tom’s plan, Huck would have felt regretful and would have tried to improve his behavior. This would have separated Huck from the majority of